SYOTOS
by Kazthom
Summary: The latest mission debriefing is taking a little longer to comprehend.


Author's notes: This story was written for fun and without any disrespect to CP or any of the powers that be that own/control/hold rights to it.

* * *

Jon drew in a deep breath, relishing the ease with which it came. The excruciating pain and burning had finally ceased, no doubt from the meds he'd been given. He didn't care what they were, he just hoped they had enough to keep giving him until his body healed.

_That is so selfish, Jon._

He gave himself a mental shake. Others were injured also. So many others. If the docs needed the pain reliever for those worse than him, he knew they would do what they could to keep him comfortable. They always did.

The last he'd seen on his visor, all their suits were failing under the assault from the Hunter Seekers. Dread had used several dozen of the orbs to ignite a plasma storm over Volcania. The bastard had decided to take himself out rather than be taken alive and he didn't care how many other lives went with him.

Jon had no idea how many resistance troops even remained in the area when that final assault had started. He'd shouted the order to fall back as soon as he realized what was happening, herding the teams nearest him to their ships while waiting for his own to do the same. Having seen only one plasma storm in the early stages, he estimated they had less than three minutes to evacuate.

His team had been running toward the jumpship. Hawk had already boarded and fired the engines; takeoff would happen as soon as they were all inside. Blaze was in the lead, with Scout right behind her. When Tank had come into view, Bones thrown over his shoulder, horror had ripped through Jon. He'd been trying to raise her on the comm, but she'd failed to respond for the last minute.

"See oh toes!" Tank's voice had buzzed in his ears when a sharp crack had sounded overhead, as if the sky had split open.

In that instant, Jennifer's face had flashed before him. He'd heard her voice, telling him she loved him, then a second later, the fiery hell that she'd told Blastarr to go to had exploded across his vision.

Extreme heat, then pain worse than anything he'd ever experienced burned across his entire body. A horrid acrid smell grew all around him and then even that was gone as the burning moved into his lungs, enveloping him.

Thunder, roaring wind and screams all blended together until he blacked out.

Though he remembered nothing after that moment until he'd woken up free of physical pain, his last thought had been the same as the one that had met him when he'd regained consciousness.

It was Jennifer and the inferno she had faced in her final seconds.

And that thought had terrified him. She had been alone in their base, doing everything she could to keep Blastarr from obtaining critical intel that would have destroyed the resistance had it been found. The explosion she had triggered would have been a hundred times worse than what they had faced with the plasma storm and he'd woken up with the same agony swirling inside as when he'd lost consciousness.

An all too familiar tightness grew in his chest, but this time he didn't fight it. The gates of hell had been opened on him and the rest of his team and here he was, free of pain, on the softest linens he'd ever encountered, while Jennifer remained buried under tons of rocks.

She hadn't deserved that. And he most certainly didn't deserve this.

Losing her had been brutal for him. He had no idea if she'd mercifully died with the blast or if she'd suffered. Some days, the not knowing had been more than he could take, and he'd gone outside to beat the frozen ground that had become their home. Michael and Matt had hauled him inside a dozen times, nearly frostbitten, allowing him to say whatever needed to come out.

As their medic, Myriah had been relentless with her 'talk therapy' and though he'd resisted it initially, it was the only thing that had gotten him through some nights. Along with sedatives. The first time she'd injected him was against his will, but the relief had been profound. He'd dreamed of Jennifer, of a world where she was still with him. And he'd clung to that, knowing it would never come true, but hoping she would somehow understand how he felt about her. That he loved her more deeply than he would ever love anyone else in his life.

Despite all the counseling from the psych team at the Passages and the talks with both Bones and Hawk, he had never forgiven himself for sending Jennifer back alone. For the words he hadn't said to her. For not loving her when he had the chance.

He'd begged whatever gods or superior beings existed to turn back the hands of time and take him instead. And when he'd woken up from countless dreams that bordered on nightmares, drenched in a cold sweat, he knew there had never been a god or omniscient being or anything else Michael had talked about.

No well-meaning god could ever allow the hell they'd been living to endure as long as it had. No compassionate being could cause such suffering to people who were trying to stop the source of the torture. No benevolent deity could so blatantly turn its back on them when they needed help the most.

"Hi, Jon."

The feminine voice should have startled him, but he had sensed a presence nearby, as if someone had been waiting for him to wake up. He simply hadn't had the desire to move beyond the meds and find out what hell was waiting for him if he opened his eyes.

"I know this is hard. You've been through so much already. Take the time you need. I'll be here when you're ready."

Tears streaked down the sides of his face, landing on the pillow. He'd know that voice anywhere.

He'd never hallucinated before, but that was the only way to explain what he was experiencing. The meds that brought him physical relief were taking his already tortured soul and taunting him with the only thing that had kept him remotely sane.

His memories of Jennifer.

Fingers gently brushed at the tears and he reached for the hand, his eyes still closed. For a long moment, he simply held onto it, barely daring to breathe. This felt so damned real.

He opened his eyes for the first time since the plasma storm had blinded him and choked back a sob.

She was gorgeous. Her hair was longer than he remembered it, the soft waves framing her face. The highlights in her hair appeared even more golden against her lightly tanned skin. Her smile was one of the brightest he'd ever seen, and her blue eyes sparkled even more than they usually did.

She pressed her hand to his cheek, her thumb caressing the beard that had grown in her absence. "I've missed you." Huge tears dropped from her eyes and splashed before soaking into his shirt.

He pushed himself up, not caring if it harmed him physically because it brought him face to face with her. Tears rolled down his own cheeks as she leaned in to press her forehead against his.

"I've missed you so much, Jennifer," he whispered.

A moment later, he closed his arms around her, the blankets tangling on his legs as he pulled her into a fierce embrace. "Jenn, I'm so sorry…I didn't get to you in time…It's my fault you had to fight Blastarr and it's my fault you're dead." All the pain he'd held inside for so long came out in a jumble of words and sobs. "I have loved you for so long and I never told you…and then you were gone…all I've wanted is to see you again and tell you how I feel about you…I love you so damned much and I want you back with me…Please come back to me…"

Her tears fell onto his neck and she began to rock him, her fingers stroking his hair, his back.

For several minutes, they clung to each other, until both had quieted to sniffles. Jennifer finally pushed back slightly and took his face in both of her hands.

"Jon Power, you are NOT responsible for what happened to me with Blastarr." A few more tears trickled down her already wet cheeks and when he started to protest, she pressed her thumbs against his lips. "You have blamed yourself for so long and that ends right now. You had no way of knowing Dread found our base. I made the choice to stay when Blastarr took out the self-destruct. Not you, not Rob, or Matt or Mike. You told me what to do and I didn't follow your order. That was on me."

Jon gently kissed her thumbs before moving them off his lips. "I failed you as a commanding officer."

"You taught me how to assess the situation and do what was right. You taught me that doing what was right wasn't always what my heart wanted. That is NOT failing me as a commanding officer." She shook her head and a faint smirk appeared. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm just stubborn and I wanted to take out that bastard machine?"

He closed his eyes and felt fresh tears welling. Her words of absolution didn't change things. How could he make her understand this wasn't on her? Everything that had happened was HIS fault and no one else's.

"Jon."

It took him a moment, but he finally met her gaze.

"I love you. And I did what I did to keep you safe." Jennifer smiled sadly at him. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know you would never hurt me. But I hurt YOU by not telling you how I felt when I had the chance." Jon pulled her back into his arms and buried his face into her hair. A faint floral scent greeted him again and he marveled at the details his mind was coming up with. When the hell did they last have floral scented anything? Did flowers even exist anymore? "I shouldn't have held back. I should have told you when I first felt like this."

She softly kissed his cheek as she hugged him close. "I didn't say anything either. We both could have been a little more assertive on that one."

It took everything he had not to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "I'm arguing with a hallucination. Gonna have to talk to the docs about this stuff when I wake up." Though he spoke out loud, his words were meant only for himself. He wanted to figure this out, but he would happily remain here, in her arms, warm, protected, and loved, forever.

Jennifer nuzzled him before whispering, "Walk with me."

She slowly extracted herself from his embrace and tugged his hands until they were both on their feet beside the bed.

Jon tried to hide his surprise at being able to stand unassisted. He'd thought his injuries were far more substantial, but perhaps he'd been out for much of his recovery.

Or maybe this was all part of the hallucinations and, in reality, he was still lying in his bed, knocked out from the meds? He was either going to have a good laugh or one hell of a cry when he figured it all out.

Jennifer squeezed his hands and looked up at him. "Ready?"

He shouldn't have been so willing to do whatever she asked, but he decided to simply see this through. Whatever was going to happen would unfold in time and he would wake up whenever the docs decided he'd had enough of the meds.

There was one thing he hadn't yet done though. One thing he didn't want to lose his chance for, even if it wasn't real.

"May I kiss you before we take this walk?" he asked softly.

"I would like that very much." Color flushed her cheeks. "But I've never kissed anyone before."

Jon smiled and felt his heart flutter. "I'm honored you would let me be the first." He cupped her cheek, his thumb lightly caressing the smooth skin.

"You're the only man I've ever wanted to kiss." She reddened even more with the admission, but didn't pull away, didn't take her eyes off his.

It was like he was a teenager again, thrilled at the prospect of kissing the one woman who made him feel the way no other had. Why couldn't this have happened when she was still alive? Why did this have to be something created synthetically, that he would never be able to feel again when he was awake?

There had already been too much regret. Too much time wasted.

He nuzzled her nose, felt her breath against his lips. "That's a whole lot of pressure to make sure I don't screw this up."

"The only pressure you should be feeling is my lips against yours."

Jon pulled back slightly and closed one eye to look at her. When she nearly snorted at his reaction to her joke, he groaned. "Did you really just say that?"

Her lips curled up in a smile and she giggled softly. "I did."

He slipped his arm around her waist, drawing her close again. Cracking a joke like that to deflect her nervousness was something she'd learned from Scout. It made the situation just that much more real and made him want this more than anything.

A moment later, his lips brushed hers, then pressed against them in a gentle kiss; there was no hesitation in her response.

The warmth of the embrace took his breath away and for the first time since her panicked message had shattered his world, Jon began to feel peace.

When the kiss came to an end, he rested his forehead against hers. "I want to stay here with you forever."

"I want that too." Jennifer wrapped her arms around him, tucking her head under his chin and pressing her cheek against his chest.

He'd hugged her only one time before she'd died – if it could have even been called a hug. It had been more like an arm draped around her shoulders and a light squeeze. Now, with her body pressed against his, her heart beating with his, he knew just how much he had missed. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too." She looked up at him and kissed him again, reluctantly pulling back after several long seconds. "As much as I want to stay here kissing you for the rest of the day, we should really go meet the others."

Jon's brow furrowed. "The others?"

For the first time since opening his eyes, he looked around the room and noticed it was simply furnished with just a bed and small table to the right of the headboard. A lamp on the table was the only accent. The linens on the bed were mismatched, as if taken from a pile of favorites for comfort instead of style.

It was what they had done at the base. It was what they'd done everywhere since the war began. Whatever could be used was used.

"Where are we?" He didn't even wait for her to answer his previous question. His frown deepened when she tugged his hands again as she moved toward the door. "Is this a medical facility? It can't be, can it?"

He nearly answered his own question out loud. It couldn't have been a hospital. The room was strangely absent of any equipment and he'd never seen any medical personnel.

Looking down at himself, he found he was dressed in a comfortable pair of pants, socks and a shirt. No boots, no uniform, just comfortable clothes. Like whomever put him there had expected him to sleep all day.

Where the hell was he?

Jennifer opened the door and led him out into a short corridor. Looking behind, Jon saw several open doors. It felt like the house he'd grown up in, with bedrooms off a main hallway, leading to a living room.

Keeping his hand in hers, he let her steer him around the corner and involuntarily stopped.

It WAS a living room.

Scout sat on the edge of an overstuffed chair; Tank looked out a bay window at an open field of green grass. Sun shone brightly into the room, warming it enough to counter the light breeze from the open window.

"Where's Matt? And Shay and Ry?" The words came out of his mouth without even thinking, the ever-present commanding officer in him assessing the situation in front of him.

Rob was on his feet the instant the two stepped into the room. "Captain!"

Why the hell did he seem more surprised to see HIM than Jennifer?

Michael smiled at the new arrivals. "Matt is on his way in." He nodded at the door across the room and as if on cue, it opened, and Masterson entered.

Jon saw the tears welling in Jennifer's eyes as she stretched up and kissed him softly on the cheek. With a whispered 'I'll be right back', she moved quickly across the room.

"Jennifer!" Matt took one look at her and caught her in his arms, hugging her fiercely. "I have missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Matt." She closed her eyes as she returned the hug and tears were once again rolling down her cheeks.

Matt rubbed her back gently and pressed a fatherly kiss against her hair.

With a visible breath to steady herself, she pulled back slightly to look at all of them. "I have wanted this so desperately, but I never wanted it to actually happen."

To Jon, it sounded like she couldn't believe what she was seeing. How could that be, if he was hallucinating all of this?

"Jennifer, what's going on here?"

It was Rob who finally asked the question. And Jon realized that both he and Rob were now regarding her warily. There was no way the entire team could have made it out of the plasma storm without so much as a scratch, yet here they were, having a conversation in the middle of a living room. And where the hell were Myriah and Shay?

Jennifer slowly separated herself from Matt. "Guys, let's sit." Extending her hand to the furniture, she settled herself between Jon and Rob on the couch while Matt and Michael took the chairs.

Jennifer gently squeezed Jon's hand as she spoke. "There's no easy way to say what needs to be said."

Across from her, Michael smiled. It was almost like old times, when he and Jennifer would have private conversations that spilled into the group at some point. Their knowing smiles were always confusing, until they finally explained what they'd been talking about. Then it would all make sense.

"We have all died."

She returned the smile gratefully. "Mike, I have missed your no-nonsense approach to things."

Jon nearly crushed Jennifer's hand, yet she made no sound to indicate he was hurting her.

Matt grinned along with Ellis, as if he also already knew, but all Jon could do was stare at them. Rob's expression told him he didn't believe what he was hearing either.

"Yes, we have all died. The bodies we once had no longer function." Jennifer moved off the couch, still holding Jon's hand as she knelt on the floor, facing the two bewildered young men.

Jon shook his head, his chest tightening. He wasn't going to be able to breathe soon.

"No." Beside him, Rob was as shaken as he was.

"Jon. Rob. I need you both to look at me."

Jennifer's tone was suddenly firm, and she tugged both of their hands to get their attention.

"The plasma storm…" Jon spoke as if it was an afterthought, not quite able to put the impossible thoughts together.

"Yes."

The simple admission sent a jolt through him. The thunder that had shaken the ground, the screams, the pain.

That pain wasn't gone because of meds. It was gone because he was dead.

He wasn't hallucinating because of meds.

See oh toes.

The words Tank had said right before the world had gone black swirled in his brain. It was an acronym he used only with their most difficult missions: SYOTOS.

See you on the other side.

Only this time, 'the other side' didn't just mean the end of the mission. It meant the other side of life itself.

Rob was suddenly on his feet and pacing. "What about Shay? And Myriah? Are they dead too?"

"Yes. They are here and you will see them soon." Jennifer reached up to touch his arm as he passed by, but he shook her off. "Rob, please, give me just a minute."

"When I woke up, you were there with me." He looked at her, confusion radiating off him. "Why didn't you tell me I was dead then?"

She moved onto the couch beside Jon again and looked between both of them, her fingers still entwined with Jon's. "It was thought to be easier to do this together."

Rob rolled his eyes and stopped walking. "Who thought it would be easier? You obviously told Tank."

Jennifer shook her head, looking past the annoyance and accusation. "No. Mike had it figured out, we just didn't speak the words out loud until right now."

Jon frowned. "So, you were there for all of us when we 'woke up' here?" He used his fingers to enclose the waking reference.

"I was there for the three of you. Joanna was with Matt." Jennifer smiled softly at the major, whose grin told her it was the reunion Joanna had hoped it would be.

Jon rubbed his forehead with his free hand, trying to make sense of it all. "Joanna is here too. And she was there with Matt when he 'woke up'."

It still didn't make sense when he said it out loud.

"Yes."

Well, thank goodness he got it right even if it didn't make sense.

"Because they were married." That part made sense because Matt was the only one that had had a significant other. Well, aside from Shay and Rob, but that was probably another entire scenario he couldn't process just yet. Maybe because they had died together?

Jennifer shook her head. "No, the one who greets you is the one you most need to talk with. The one you have the most unfinished business with."

Jon felt like he'd been punched in the gut and from the look on his face, Rob was no better. He knew the guilt the young man had been carrying since they had lost Jennifer. The blame they had placed on themselves, as well as each other, had brought them to blows on at least three separate occasions. Rob had nearly left the team, only staying because of a tenuous compromise Matt and Michael had managed to get them to agree to.

"Matt, I asked Joanna to bring you here when you were ready so we could talk as a group."

When Masterson nodded, Jon could see tears welling in his eyes.

"I couldn't protect Joanna and our kids from Dread. Couldn't protect you either. It was like losing Katie all over again when that core detonated." Matt stared grimly at her.

Jennifer brushed at her own tears. "Guys, all of you need to understand something. The decision to stay at the base was mine. I knew the possibilities and I knew what had to be done. I was already dying when Blastarr cornered me in the core room. I chose to complete the mission because that was what HAD to be done." She held up her hand to quiet them when they started to protest. "All of you would have done the same, so don't even try."

Drawing in a deep breath, she continued. "I was gone the instant the base exploded. But so was Blastarr."

It was the one thing that had incessantly haunted Jon's dreams. Her suffering a slow and painful death at the hands of the BioDread because he hadn't gotten back to her in time. Knowing that she had died almost instantly didn't stop his pain, but it did numb it, just a little.

He let go of her hand and rested his arm across her back, drawing her into a hug as he pressed his face against her hair.

Her sacrifice had made Dread vulnerable in a way they'd never expected. It was as if he'd lost a child himself when the BioDread had been destroyed and he became more of a loose cannon. The coordinated attack on Volcania had been the culmination of more than a year of recon and data filtering. Everything they had scavenged as Dread's carelessness had escalated had gone into that moment.

"War is hell. And sometimes, people have to die to make sure that others live." Jennifer reached out for Rob's hand again, pulling him back down onto the couch beside her. "Please understand that none of you are responsible for my death. I did what I did to keep you safe. How could I not? You are the ones who pulled me out of the darkness and gave me the courage to move past the anger, to know right from wrong and most of all, to forgive myself and improve every day."

Brushing at more tears that had begun to fall, she whispered, "You are the reason I am here. Had you not been in my life, I don't know where I would have ended up when I died."

Rob nudged her leg with his. It was something he'd done so many times over the years, when neither of them really wanted to talk, but they both knew they needed to. "Jenn, where are we?"

She hooked his finger with hers and sniffled. "This place has been called by a dozen names. The other side. Heaven. Eden. Paradise. The Promised Land. The great unknown. What I have found is that it is a place to rest. A place where no one hurts anymore."

Jon looked at Ellis, who had been silent since he'd said they'd all died.

The big man was at peace. He had tried his best while they were alive, with his gentle persistence, to make them all understand that there was something beyond the hell they were living in.

Was this really the 'something' Ellis been trying to make them all see?

Baker shook his head. "The hurt isn't gone, Jenn."

Jon felt the same way. The physical pain was gone but there was still so much inside he was wrestling with. Having talked with Jennifer, having listened to everything she'd said had numbed parts of it, but he certainly wasn't at peace the way Ellis was.

"You just got here. That pain will heal with time." She poked Rob's foot with her toes. "This place is more of a journey. The lives we encounter here are all intertwined in some way. We find the ones here that we need to make peace with and as the journey continues, the hurt lessens."

"How do we know who we have to meet? Is there some list that we're given and some addresses?" Rob looked dubious, using some weak humor to deflect his true feelings, like Jennifer had done earlier.

Matt leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "Joanna said it was like before, when you were drawn to someone and you couldn't quite put your finger on why. You just were. There's a connection that needs to be made, one that will help with the healing, either for you, or them, or both."

Jennifer agreed with Masterson. "It was difficult for me to understand when I first arrived, but after Joanna explained it to me, I realized it was just like when I was drawn to you."

Jon found himself staring into those blue eyes again.

"I don't know why my eyes were opened. I don't know why I thought it was a good idea to walk up to you and surrender, even after everything Dread made me believe. There was just something about you that made me feel safe. Like I could trust you, even though I didn't know you or even what trust meant."

Jon had felt that same inexplicable trust in her when they'd first encountered her. The other resistance groups had thought he had finally snapped mentally when they'd heard who Jennifer was, but that didn't stop Jon from giving her a chance.

He had called it intuition. Perhaps it was something more than that?

Ellis smiled knowingly. For a man who said very little, it seemed everything he had said to them was right.

"Who met you when you woke up here, Pilot?" Tank sat forward in his chair, watching all of them with an intensity Jon had never seen before. He was soaking up all of this, more fascinated than startled by everything they were learning.

All eyes were suddenly on her and she was silent for several seconds. "I was met by my parents."

"What?!" Rob twisted so he was facing her.

She had never opened up to any of them about her family. Because of her stories of surrogates being used to increase the ranks of the Dread Youth, they had assumed that had been her beginning also. And yet, given the timing of the war, Jon had never felt comfortable with that idea.

Michael's hands clasped in front of him, though he didn't move otherwise. He hadn't anticipated the answer she had given them and there was regret on his face. That didn't stop him from asking, "Did you remember them?"

She nodded. "The last time I saw them, I was about six. But I can still see their faces when I was taken from them by the overunits. I never knew the reason they gave me up until I arrived here."

Rob pressed on, struggling to process the horror of the situation. "How could they let them take you?"

Michael kept his eyes on Jennifer, though his comment was directed at Rob. "Everyone has their reasons for the choices they make. It may not be something that would even cross your mind, but it was one that made sense to them."

"You're right, Mike. It made sense to them." Jennifer smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes. "I was the oldest of three children. They couldn't feed all of us. They were told I would be given three meals a day, an education, and a warm place to sleep each night. They chose to give me over to Dread in exchange for two months' rations for the rest of them."

Jon pressed another kiss against her hair. "But your parents ARE here? And your siblings?"

"Yes. All of them." Her jaw clenched as she struggled against the emotions.

"The journey with them isn't quite complete," Ellis finished for her.

She pointed at him, confirming what she couldn't say. After another deep breath, she continued. "They died six months later of starvation. And there I was, getting three meals a day, an education and with a warm place to sleep each night. I sometimes think it would have been better to die with them, but then I realize if that had happened, I wouldn't have met all of you. So, I think I got the better end of the deal. Even if it sucked getting there."

"I'm pretty sure WE got the best end of the deal," Matt countered. The rest of the group quickly agreed, making the smile that crossed her face genuine this time.

"You have no idea how much I've missed all of you. It has been such a joy getting to know Joanna, Mitch and Katie, but being with you, even for just this short amount of time…it finally feels like home again."

Jon drew her in closer, relishing the way her body tucked against his. The longer he sat there with her, with his team, the more real all of this was becoming.

And the more he wished he'd acted on his desire for her when they were alive.

Jon stared at his team with the stark realization he'd just acknowledged they were dead.

A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and had them all turning; Rob was on his feet the instant it opened.

"Shay!"

"Rob! Guys!" A wavy-haired brunette bolted into the room, directly into Baker's arms. "That was a complete shitstorm."

"Plasma storm," Matt corrected.

She rolled her eyes at him, remaining firmly in Rob's embrace. "It's good to know some things don't change, even when we're dead."

"Technically speaking, Shay, the bodies we once had are dead. We're in another plane of existence now." Another dark-haired woman walked further into the room, patting Shay's shoulder as she moved toward Ellis and Masterson.

"Really, Ry? You, too?" Shay sounded almost betrayed at the explanation.

Jon felt a lump form in his throat, and he squeezed Jennifer just a little tighter.

"Go on," she said softly. "They're your team."

"Come with me." He stood and pulled her to her feet, then slipped his hand into hers. "You're part of my team also. Always have been. Always will be."

Though Jennifer joined him, she stood back while hugs were liberally dispensed. Shay finally turned to Power, an expectant eyebrow raised.

All he could do was smirk. The young woman had been unafraid to speak her mind the entire time he'd known her and now, all she could do was give him that look.

Jon drew Jennifer to his side again. "Jennifer Chase, I'd like to introduce you to Shay Rinehardt and Myriah Dexter. Blaze and Doc, respectively." Jon kept the introduction simple. Nothing about the group had ever been formal or fussy and he had the suspicion the two women had already figured out who Jennifer was anyway.

Jennifer extended her hand in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"It's all ours, believe me! Ry and I have heard so much about you." Shay stepped forward and pulled her into a quick embrace. "I'm a hugger. You should probably get used to it."

"I have learned to never turn down a hug." Jennifer smiled at Baker over the young woman's shoulder and he nearly beamed in return.

Myriah was more reserved, simply shaking Jennifer's hand. "Your photo doesn't do you justice."

Jennifer wrinkled up her nose. "I don't remember any photos being taken."

Rob cleared his throat. "I, uh, found some surveillance footage in Mentor's database and printed out a couple of pictures."

"You were kinda fuzzy," Shay added.

Jon knew the ones Shay was referring to, but he also knew the one Myriah spoke of. She had found it more than seven months earlier and though she'd never said anything about it out loud, he'd caught her staring at it when she thought he wasn't looking.

"I know 'thank you' isn't ever going to be enough, but I will say it to both of you. Thank you for giving up everything to work with these guys. I know the sacrifices you made to keep them safe. I love them more than you will ever know, and it means so much to me that you were willing to be there for them, and with them, no matter what."

Jon heard the emotion in Jennifer's voice and had to look over Baker's shoulder, at the wall on the opposite side of the room, to keep himself in control. He knew how she'd felt about them when she was still with them. He KNEW she loved them, but he couldn't acknowledge that the love she felt for each of them might be different.

Shay sighed and reached for Jennifer again. "Hugging you again, so I don't start with the babbling and mushy stuff."

"Who are you kidding?" Matt asked. "You're going to be talking nonstop with Jennifer for the next two hours if we don't stop you right now."

"And this is a problem why? She is a member of this team, is she not? All I have seen are pictures and heard some stories," she said to Matt before turning to Jennifer and draping an arm around her shoulders. "We are practically the same age. Can you imagine the fun we'd have had if we'd been on the team at the same time?"

Jennifer laughed. "I wasn't big on having fun. The guys were trying to get me to understand what 'fun' actually meant."

"Oh, come on now. One of those stories I heard involved a game of strip poker at the Passages –"

Jennifer clamped her hand over Shay's mouth and shot a warning look at Rob. "Robert Baker, I swore you to secrecy about that!"

He took two steps backward, raising his hands in an attempt to placate her. A grin turned up the corners of his mouth for the first time since he'd arrived there. "Jenn, you were dead. I didn't think you were going to come back and haunt me over it, I swear."

"Oh, you're in big trouble, Mister." Jennifer couldn't help but laugh as Shay tried her best to wriggle out of the hold she had on her. Even though Rinehardt had her by several inches in height, she kept her in place with one of the restraining moves from her days in the Youth.

Jon poked her in the side, unable to resist joining in. "So, what's this about poker at the Passages?"

She swatted his hand, which left Shay slightly less guarded. She took advantage of it and slipped out of the hold, chuckling as Power snagged Jennifer and pulled her close again.

"We will definitely talk, Shay. And I promise to share some stories about Sergeant Baker." Jennifer shot a wicked grin at Baker, then tucked herself into Jon's side and wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

He returned it immediately, realizing that, like Jennifer, he would never turn down a hug again. The connection was too important.

Matt crossed his arms over his chest, bringing them all back to a more serious frame of mind. "Jennifer, the plasma storm killed all of us. What about Dread?"

Her words were even more sobering. "All of Volcania was decimated. There were no survivors."

Jon closed his eyes.

Volcania had been a massive empire. From the mines to the factories, it had covered the better part of what had been the city of Detroit, with Dread's throne room at the heart.

They had been near the castle itself when the Hunter Seekers had been launched. Hundreds of resistance soldiers had been mustered from across the country, with the most elite of them at his team's side.

"And Overmind was destroyed?" Jon did the only thing he could. He focused on the mission.

"Yes. All biomechs around the world and the two remaining BioDreads ceased functioning with Dread and Overmind gone." Jennifer filled in the blanks with the remaining bits of information.

When he opened his eyes, he found his entire team watching him.

"Then our mission is complete."

Shouts of joy erupted, and hugs were shared with even more enthusiasm than before; Jon allowed himself to be swept up in the celebration.

Seventeen years of hell on earth had come to an end. He'd barely been a teenager when the war had started, and he'd spent more than half his life trying to clean up the mess his father and Taggart had created.

His thoughts turned to Stuart Gordon Power and he felt a tug on his heart.

He'd stopped blaming his father for working with Taggart to create Overmind. Others would have stepped in to work on the project if he hadn't.

He'd stopped blaming his mother for leaving when the weeks stretched into months and his father's absence became the answer to whether he still loved her or not. Their vows may have been 'til death do our hearts part', but Jon knew hers had died a thousand deaths when her begging had fallen on deaf ears.

He'd stopped blaming his father for the destruction of his world because it was no longer just HIS world that had been claimed. It was all of humanity that had been taken. Sides had been chosen, lives had been lost, innocence had been destroyed.

But he'd never forgiven himself for being captured by Soaron. If he hadn't been so cocky, so self-assured, his father would never have been put into the position of sacrificing himself. If he'd never been captured, maybe Stuart Power would have lived long enough to counter Taggart before he became Dread.

That guilt had been the driving force behind everything he'd done for the last seventeen years, culminating in the deaths of hundreds of people who had put their trust in him and countless others that either supported Dread willingly, or through servitude.

Matt's voice broke through his thoughts. "Jon, the war's over. You can stop thinking so much and just rest for a little while. You've earned it."

Masterson stood at his side, just like he'd done for the last seventeen long years.

"I'm proud of you, Son." Tears shimmered in his eyes and he pulled him into a fierce hug.

Jon hugged him without reservation. This man had taken a scared, confused, and angry-as-hell kid and given him a reason to live. He'd cared for him as if he was his own son, becoming a brick wall when he needed to be and a shoulder to cry on other times. He'd been a friend, a confidante, a thorn in his side and a father.

"Thank you for always being there for me, Matt. I would never have made it through this without you."

"You got me through some hellish times too, Jon. I'm glad we have each other." Matt gently scratched the back of his head, scruffing his hair like he'd done back when Jon was just a kid. "Now, do me a favor and start living."

"I intend to do that very thing." Jon watched his foster father walk away, still trying to wrap his muddled brain around the idea that he could live while being dead, when he felt a soft touch on his arm. He turned, expecting to see Jennifer.

"Ry." He barely whispered her name before she stopped him.

Myriah opened her mouth to speak but no words came out, her emotions overtaking her.

"Luke was there when you woke up." Jon didn't even bother phrasing it as a question. If Jennifer had been with him, there was no doubt Myriah's husband would have been there with her.

The medic nodded, tears brimming in her hazel eyes. When they spilled down her cheeks, she wiped quickly at them. "I came here to make sure Jennifer was with you."

"Her voice was the first thing I heard when I woke up," he said with a small laugh, squeezing her shoulder. "I didn't believe it. Spent the better part of at least a half hour thinking I was hallucinating from pain meds and I was going to give you a metric crap-ton of grief for letting them use that much on me."

She laughed through her tears, finally giving up trying to stem their flow. "I didn't believe it was Luke either, but as soon as he hugged me, I knew. I didn't let go of him until I walked in here."

Jon realized he'd done the same thing with Jennifer. He'd been touching her in some way from the moment he'd seen her face until the team had fully assembled.

"Thank you, Jon. For everything." She smiled gratefully. "And for being there when I really needed someone."

"You were there for me too. Thank you."

She had been a friend and a colleague. A shoulder to cry on. She understood the agony he felt in the darkest hours of the night, when the loneliness was like being with the devil himself.

"I was told the hurting would go away here, but all I'm doing is crying," she said with a groan as she scrubbed her hands over her face.

"I was thinking the same thing. We spent so much of our time fighting that we must've locked in a lake's worth of tears. Seems like we've got all the time in the world to let them out now." Jon pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "It's been an honor having you on my team."

"It's been an honor serving with you and the rest." She hesitated, looking across the room at Jennifer, who was in an animated discussion with Rob and Shay. "It's cliché to say this, but she's beautiful, Jon. Inside and out. I'm glad I was able to meet her. Maybe sometime soon I can introduce you to Luke."

Jon nodded. "Are you two okay?"

"Yes."

She beamed almost as much as Rob had when Jennifer had hugged Shay and Jon once again felt the weight on his shoulders lift just a little more. Luke's death had left a gaping hole in Myriah that she'd never recovered from. She'd put up a good front for the others, but the 'talk therapy' she had done with Jon was as much for her benefit as his.

With a final squeeze, she moved away from him, hugging each of the others as she slowly made her way to the door.

Jon did his best to hide his surprise when Jennifer met her there and shared a private conversation with her. Their hug was one that Myriah reserved only for those that meant something to her, and then she was gone.

There was no goodbye. He simply knew their paths would cross again sometime down the road the moment Myriah had entered the room.

As the door thumped shut, Jon caught Rob's stare and knew the younger man had been watching him the whole time. And he knew Baker understood. They may have had their differences but the years they had worked and lived together had a way of overcoming their stubbornness.

"So, what do we do now, Jenn?" Baker changed the subject, giving his commanding officer a moment to collect his thoughts again.

Jennifer slowly moved across the room to Jon's side and slipped her hand into his. "The answer I received when I asked that question was 'What do you WANT to do?' and let's just say my request couldn't be fulfilled. Apparently, returning to all of you wasn't an option."

Michael squeezed her shoulder. "I bet you had a few arguments about why it should be an option."

"You are correct. I felt bad for Joanna, having to deal with me, and I'm sure Mitch and Katie were wondering if I was going to figure out a way to make it happen anyway." Jennifer shook her head at the memories. "Truthfully, the question I was asked was the most accurate one and I will ask it of you. The war is done, so what do you WANT to do? We can start with the basics. Do you want to rest for a little while? Are you hungry or thirsty? Do you want to see anyone in particular? This place," she gestured to the dwelling they were in, "is your home for now. Shay, that includes you, or you may choose to return to your family, like Myriah has."

Matt grinned. "Joanna has invited everyone over for dinner. Rob, she also said to tell you that your family will be there."

The young man's answer was immediate, and with a unanimous decision to join the families, Jennifer led the way to the small homestead Joanna Masterson had established long before.

After the introductions were made, Mitch and Katie started right in on Jon, reminding him of things in their childhood he had long forgotten but that had the rest of the group unable to contain their laughter. Lizzie Baker joined in, teasing her older brother relentlessly about old times while Shay contributed new ones. Both sets of siblings had kept many of the stories from their parents, causing them to stare at each other in exasperation.

"They may have grown up, but they're still a handful, aren't they?" Lane Baker took a long drink from his water glass, watching as the group of young people helped themselves to slices of pie that had been freshly baked that afternoon.

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Matt answered. "I've missed this more than you can imagine."

"We can imagine. We've been missing our boy just as much." Shelby Baker smiled as Rob brought dessert plates over for them and she kissed his cheek gently. "Thank you, Love."

"Mom, do you have any idea how much I have missed your apple pie?" He sat down on the floor in front of her, eagerly shoving a huge bite of pie into his mouth before Shay snuggled into his side.

"I'm glad you still like it. We weren't sure how hungry you would be. Everyone is different when they arrive." Shelby stroked his hair, then reached over to touch Shay's. "Honey, you are very sweet to stay here, but if you'd like to see your family, we are happy to take you."

"Thank you. My family is looking forward to meeting all of you." Realizing that she'd made plans without asking them, she immediately apologized. "I was a bit excited to tell them about Rob and that if my family was here, his would be also and we should get together. But I'm happy to stay a little longer. It's nice to spend time with these guys without having to plan an attack on a factory or some kind of new energy installation."

Glasses and plates were raised in agreement and the stories began again.

Hours later, with stomachs and hearts full, the Bakers parted with Shay, who was nearly bouncing with excitement at the prospect of repeating this again with her own family.

"She is such a joy." Joanna smiled as she closed the door.

"I wish I still had that much energy," Michael lamented, almost suppressing a yawn before finally giving in to the fatigue he felt. "She never seems to wear out."

Joanna touched his arm. "Michael, why don't you stay here for the night? We've got an extra bed. Jon, Jennifer, stay also. There's plenty of room here."

Jennifer smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Joanna, but I thought I'd show Jon where I live." Turning to Jon, she continued, "If you'd like to see it."

He nodded. The time spent with everyone had been wonderful, but he longed to be with just Jennifer. He was starting to feel the same weariness that Ellis was showing and didn't want to doze off on the chair while everyone was still talking. He wanted to fall asleep with Jennifer in his arms, if she was willing, and stay that way until he woke up again.

With appreciation for the meal and conversation, and promises to return, the couple exchanged hugs with everyone before finally walking hand in hand along the same path they'd been on earlier in the day.

"I can't believe Mitch and Katie look my age. I almost didn't recognize them, but Katie still has those dimples." Jon had marveled at how much they'd changed but hadn't had the desire to ask such a technical question and ruin the moment.

"Time still passes. From what I've seen, it seems to take less of a toll on our appearance the longer we are here."

They settled into a companionable silence as they walked and Jon found himself staring up into trees, searching for the birds calling out to each other as they passed by.

"I forgot what nature sounded like."

Jennifer laughed. "I didn't remember hearing anything like this before and the first night I was here, I stayed with Joanna. My window was open, and I stayed awake all night, just listening to the birds and insects and animals. The next night, Katie and I slept outside so we could identify everything."

"You have your own home now, but you stayed with Joanna initially?" Jon asked.

She nodded. "I may have been met here by my parents, but that didn't mean I had to stay with them. As you already figured out, we have not fully healed, though we have come to an understanding about why things happened. There's no fighting here, but no one is obligated to remain in the presence of someone."

"Because of my family history, I had no one else here besides my parents and siblings. Joanna learned who I was and was here almost as soon as my parents left. She was so warm, Jon. So full of love and kindness and I could see why Matt missed her so much. She took me home with her and let me stay there until I found a place of my own."

"Does everyone here have their own homes?" Jon hadn't seen anything in the distance between the home they'd woken up in and the Mastersons', nor anything so far with Jennifer. It had only been a lightly wooded area they'd been walking through.

"Families are grouped together. Many choose to stay in the same dwelling, while others have homes near each other. I decided to stay near Joanna. She's like a mom to me, much like Matt became a father to you."

Jon tightened his fingers on hers as they walked. Seeing Matt with his kids and Rob with his family had made him think of his own parents more and more as the evening had gone by. He'd wondered if this was what Jennifer had meant when she'd said that people were drawn together, for reasons that couldn't be explained.

"Are my parents here?" He hesitated asking, wanting desperately to hear her answer and at the same time almost unable to face what she had to say.

She stopped walking and turned to look at him. "Yes."

The air went out of his lungs and he stared at her, stunned. "How do I find them?"

"Joanna has already spent some time with them, but it was long ago. I think she will be able to give you more information on them." Jennifer touched his arm and squeezed it, her hand still wrapped up in his. "I know that's not the answer you want to hear, but it's all I have right now."

He pulled her in close, feeling the tightness grow in his chest. There was supposed to be less pain here, and though he was finding it to be true in some aspects, in others, the weight on his shoulders was increasing. This was going to be a long journey for him, if what Jennifer had said was true.

"Did they find their way back to each other? Like Matt and Joanna and Rob's parents?"

Jennifer hugged him hard. "Rob's parents are not together the way they were previously."

Jon felt like he'd been punched in the gut again. "But they were married. Rob always talked about how much they loved each other."

"Have you heard of a soul mate?"

He nodded, though he'd never believed in it. Much like 'the other side' that Tank had talked about, it was just a vague explanation of something that never held any real substance.

"The way I understand it, people are meant to find their soul mate. They are placed in close enough proximity that their paths eventually cross. But oftentimes, it doesn't happen." Jennifer remained in his arms, holding him close. "They are eventually united here."

If this place was real, it stood to reason soul mates existed also. And if Rob's parents weren't considered soul mates even after the love they shared, there was no hope for his own parents.

"Jon?" Jennifer shifted in his arms and looked up at him.

The night hid most of her features, but he didn't miss the emotion in her voice or the way she tensed slightly.

"Jenn, it's okay." He kissed her forehead, lingering on the soft warm skin. He never expected his parents to get back together, not after the last fight between them.

"You don't have to pretend, Jon. I know it's not okay right now." She shook her head. "When I first got here, I didn't understand how this place could be what Michael was talking about. Sure, there's no war, there's no fighting, but that doesn't mean everything is easy or makes sense. There are still so many questions to answer. So many things that need to be said."

He waited a moment. The tone of her voice meant she was working up to saying something. It wasn't about his parents, or the team. This was something more. He'd allowed a mission to interfere with the last time they'd needed to have a serious conversation and he wasn't about to screw it up again.

Her words came out almost as a whisper but grew stronger as she continued. "Jon, what I did to you back at the base was so unfair. I wanted to tell you how I felt but I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way, so I chickened out while we were in my quarters. And when I knew I was going to die I wasn't even considering your feelings. I said what I did because I had to get it out. I didn't mean to hurt you and I'm so sorry." Tears rolled down her cheeks and she sniffled, but never looked away.

"After I told you I loved you, I turned off the receiver because I couldn't bear to know if you didn't feel the same way about me."

He closed his eyes, feeling the agony of those dark nights following her death wash over him. He'd brought it on himself by not telling her how he'd felt, even in her last seconds. Knowing she had doubted his response justified the pain.

"I am so sorry I didn't have the guts to tell you how I felt about you. I did love you, Jennifer. I loved you so damned much that it scared me half to death to think that I would ever lose you. You died without ever hearing those words from me. And then Myriah and I…we were both trying to let go of some of the pain we were feeling…" The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them and huge tears dropped from his eyes.

He had turned to someone else to fill the void. He'd justified it by telling himself Myriah missed Luke as much as he missed Jennifer. Every touch, every kiss. He had pretended every moment was with Jennifer, not Myriah. His aching soul had eased when, in a moment of passion, she had called him Luke. There had been no guilt for leaving Jennifer's picture on the wall by his pillow, where he could see if as he drifted off to sleep. No guilt that Myriah had seen it too, countless times, as she had fallen asleep beside him.

"She needed you as much as you needed her. I'm glad you had each other –" Her voice had returned to its calm, reassuring softness.

"How can you say that?" He cut her off, unable to fathom the ease with which she accepted his confession.

"Because we weren't together, Jon. We were on the same team, and yes, we were even friends, but we were not together. We both know that. And it's not like you jumped on her before my body was cold, it happened a year after I was gone." She took his cheeks in her hands, as she had done when he had first woken up.

Jon stared into those bright blue eyes, what he'd felt earlier confirmed now by her words. "You knew."

"Yes."

That explained the exchange she and Myriah had at the door before the medic left. He had been with Myriah long enough to know that the hug she gave Jennifer had been one of relief. They had talked, however briefly it had been, and Jennifer had likely said the same words to her as she had to him.

"Jon, even if we HAD admitted our feelings for each other, I was gone. Luke was gone. How were you supposed to know there was anything beyond the hell we were living in? You and Myriah had every right to find comfort in each other." She brushed at his tears. "Please believe me."

He did believe her. Though she didn't always reveal every bit of information, when she did speak, it had always been the truth.

"I don't deserve you." Jon stroked his fingers through her hair.

She shook her head. "Please don't say that. I have waited so long to see you again and if you want me and if you love me, then we deserve each other."

Jon felt his stomach clench. She had said 'if' he loved her. She wanted him to believe her words, but she still doubted his. Taking her hands in his, he pressed them to his chest, right above his heart. "Jennifer Chase, I want you. I need you. I love you more than I will ever be able to show you."

His lips claimed hers and he felt her tension fade, turning into a slow, burning passion.

She believed him.

He released her hands and slipped his arms around her body, barely containing a groan as her fingers caressed his cheeks on their way to wind into his hair.

Her touch was igniting a fire deep inside unlike anything he'd felt before. And though he wanted to devour her right there, he slowed the kiss and finally pulled back slightly.

"Can we make love here?" he asked, one hand still on the small of her back, holding her against himself while the other softly traced her jaw, her ear, then moved into her hair.

She nodded over her shoulder. "It's a little rocky here, but just a bit farther that way is a nice grassy area."

He chuckled and kissed her nose. "I meant in a general sense. Like are we allowed to do that here, in this realm of existence. If our bodies work that way still. And if you want to. At some point."

"Oooooooooohhhhhhh…" She drew it out, an impish grin turning up the corners of her mouth as she teased him. "Dunno. I've never tried. Was kinda waiting for a certain someone to get here before I attempted something like that."

Pulling his head back down to hers, she kissed him lightly. "And I want to. Sooner instead of later. Please. And thank you. I've even got a bed that might be nicer than the grass."

Jon smiled. Her teasing was just another reminder of what he'd missed about her. "We were heading to your house, weren't we?

Jennifer kissed him one more time and laced her fingers into his, tugging him on the path to resume their walk.

"Grassy area," she pointed out as they passed a small clearing.

He was starting to regret bringing it up so soon after being reunited. With the emotional rollercoaster they'd been on since he woke up, he should have had the sense to stop talking before that came out of his mouth. But his desire for her was so strong.

"Jenn, I shouldn't have presumed you would want to. We don't have to –" A thought that had entered his brain when they'd first started the conversation suddenly surged forward and he stopped walking again. "Are we soul mates?"

His mouth went dry as he stared at her, his heartbeat thudding in his ears.

"I have been asking myself that since Joanna explained it to me. She told me we would know." Jennifer lifted his hand to her lips and kissed it.

"How?" He barely got the word out.

Since the moment she had taken out Blastarr, he had felt a profound and inexplicable sense of loss. It had only subsided when he'd woken up with her at his side.

Jennifer smiled shyly. "What reason would I have had to walk up to you all those years ago and surrender?"

He touched her hair, stroked his fingers through it. And smiled back. "Same reason I accepted your word despite what everyone around me was saying."

She squeezed his fingers.

"We spent years together." Jon was almost in awe of everything that was finally falling into place. "I feel like such an idiot."

Jennifer shook her head and moved back into his arms. "We were fighting a war, Jon. How were we supposed to know there was so much more behind those feelings?"

After another long hug, she pulled him back onto the path.

Several minutes later, they stepped into a clearing, where a small log cabin was nestled into a grove of trees at the far side. A lamp shone through one of the windows, guiding them up a worn path to the porch.

"It's small, but it's home." Jennifer opened the front door and stepped inside, kicking her shoes off near the wall. Just like she'd always done when stepping into her quarters back at the base.

Jon did the same with the shoes she had found for him at the first house, then turned, his eyes growing wide as he took in the room.

He'd been to a cabin by a lake as a boy and the memory of it had never faded. It was something he had always wanted to return to, if the war ever ended.

He'd gone so far as to consider building one as a home for he and Jennifer, even drawing some rough sketches and storing them in Mentor for future reference. When he'd found them in the database after Mentor had been restored at Northstar, he'd barely spoken to anyone for days. He'd almost deleted the file, but instead, buried it deep in Mentor's system, along with everything pertaining to Jennifer. His entire heart had gone into that encrypted data.

And now, it was as if that file had been accessed.

"Joanna remembered a cabin you all went to once or twice when you were a kid and she threw these ideas together. Then she rounded up Mitch and Katie, Rob's family and others who have some experience with this sort of thing, given how long they've been here. This is what they gave me."

Jennifer led him through the single story, first through the living room and dining area, then the kitchen and finally to a hallway off the living room that connected to two bedrooms and a bathroom.

"Katie sometimes spends the night here. We can get talking pretty late and even though it's a short walk back to her place, it's more fun to have her stay." Jennifer turned off the light in the first bedroom before bringing him to the second. "This is mine."

She turned on the light on the bedside table and movement on the bed caused Jon to unconsciously push Jennifer behind himself.

To his surprise, Jennifer immediately moved from his protective stance and onto the bed. "Hey, Baby Girl. I didn't think you'd be snuggled up already."

Jon took several steps to see around her but stopped just as quickly.

A face of dark fur poked under Jennifer's arm and brown eyes stared at him.

"It's okay, Sweetness. This is Jon." Jennifer shifted on the bed, laying down on her side next to the dog. She stroked her back and scratched gently behind her ears. "Jon, this is Maggie. She showed up one day when I was working here at the house and has stayed with me since. She doesn't much care for people, but the fact that she hasn't run away already means she might just think you're okay."

Jon took a careful step forward and at Jennifer's urging, he extended his hand to the pup. "Maggie?"

Her head cocked slightly to the side when he said her name and she sniffed his fingers.

"Don't ask me where the name came from. She just looked like a Maggie and when she answered to it the next time I called her, it stuck." Jennifer smiled at the looks passing between the two.

Maggie licked his fingers and her tail began to thump on the bed.

"Seems she likes you. She seriously runs away anytime someone comes by. I might be the only one she lets near her." Jennifer moved her hand back to allow Jon to stroke her.

"Does she have what looks like a white sock on her right hind paw?"

Jon had barely gotten the words out when Maggie let out a soft yip and leaped at him.

"Maggie!" Jennifer yelled her name and grabbed for her, but she was already on the floor, dancing around Jon's feet, her tail furiously wagging as she yipped and whined, pushing her muzzle against his legs.

Jon dropped to his knees and she immediately jumped up against his chest, licking his face as her tail moved so fast her entire hind quarters wiggled.

"Jon, she's never acted like this! Maggie! Sit!" Jennifer jumped off the bed, ready to haul the dog back when she saw Jon's face.

Despite tears once again rolling down his cheeks, he was laughing and pointing at the white 'sock' on her right hind paw. "Jenn, this is Maggie!" He buried his face into her neck and tried to corral her on his lap but failed completely.

Jennifer stared at him in confusion, watching as the dog she had thought was docile jumped and ran in circles around Jon.

He reached out and pulled her into himself again. Maggie licked his face, then turned to look at Jennifer, her tongue hanging out of her mouth as she smiled and yipped again.

"This gorgeous girl died when I was twelve." Jon kissed the top of her head, finally able to make her sit on his lap. "She was the best dog a kid could have asked for."

"She's YOUR dog?" Jennifer sat down on the floor beside them and rested her hand on Maggie's back, feeling her panting from the activity. "You were waiting for Jon too, weren't you? Did you know I was waiting for him? Is that why you came to stay with me?"

Maggie licked Jennifer's chin before rolling over onto her back to accept belly rubs from both.

Jon had to blink back tears as he watched Jennifer snuggle Maggie.

Jennifer had been right. Maggie had shied away from people for as long as he'd had her. She'd responded almost exclusively to him and he had been the one with her when she'd died.

Now? There was no doubt she had found a new soul to trust in Jennifer.

"You can stay here with us, if you'd like. There's plenty of room." Jennifer smiled at him, waving Maggie's front paws in greeting. With her hair falling down across her forehead and a flush of excitement on her cheeks, she was even more gorgeous than when he'd first laid eyes on her in this place.

"I want to stay here with you forever."

She leaned across Maggie and kissed his cheek. "I want that too."

He scooped Maggie into Jennifer's arms, then lifted them onto the bed. With a soft 'woof', the pup plopped down onto the pile of blankets she'd been on before and yawned. It only took a minute of soft rubbing before she was asleep, a smile still turning up her mouth.

Jon carefully moved the entire blanket pile to the foot of the bed without waking her, then joined Jennifer at the pillows. "Does she sleep on your feet?" he asked.

"Every night. Even when she starts out down there." Jennifer rolled onto her side so she was facing him. "I should have known there was a reason she came here. And to just have her name pop into my head the way it did? You'd think I'd have asked Joanna about it."

"I'm just glad she found you." Jon rested his hand on her hip and gently kissed her forehead.

"Me, too. She's such a sweetheart." Her fingers grazed his cheek. "I really like the beard."

He grinned. Though they'd always tried to keep up their grooming, Northstar had been ridiculously far away from most of their missions and they'd taken to returning only when the jumpship's supplies had been exhausted and their bodies were nearly the same. Coordinating the last mission had taken them from it for nearly a month. They'd been sheltering wherever they could. The Passages and other groups' bases had become temporary homes for them as they'd finalized the attack and moved everyone and everything into position. "I didn't grow it on purpose. Just didn't have time to shave."

She moved closer and kissed his chin. "You'll have time to shave here, but maybe you could keep it?"

"I can do that." He shifted enough to catch her lips for a quick kiss.

Jennifer propped herself up on an elbow and smiled again. "What do you think of the bed?"

"You were right. Definitely more comfortable than the grass would be." He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of himself. When her hair fell into her face, he gently pushed it back and held it with one hand while the other rubbed up and down her spine.

With a twinkle in her blue eyes, she said, "Welcome home, Jon."

It was time to start living.


End file.
